Chapter 7

Xiao Liulang arrived in town and was immediately pulled to the medical clinic by his classmate.

Outside the clinic, a long queue had formed, all of them there to see the miraculous doctor.

The two stood at the end of the line.

His classmate tiptoed to look: "It's not too late, we should be able to get in."

"Here's the fare, I'll give it to you later," Xiao Liulang said.

His classmate patted his chest: "We are classmates and from the same hometown, why be so formal? By the way, are you hungry?"

He had left in a hurry and hadn't eaten anything, and neither had Xiao Liulang.

He took out a clean small bundle from his wide sleeves and opened it to reveal three beautiful cornmeal buns.

"Where did you get these buns?" Xiao Liulang felt these buns were somewhat familiar.

His classmate replied: "I took them from your stove, they were just steamed when I got there!"

Xiao Liulang frowned: "How many did you leave?"

His classmate said strangely: "Weren't there only three? You made the buns, don't you remember?"

Xiao Liulang pursed his lips and said nothing.

After a while, he said: "Why didn't you leave one for her?"

His classmate was startled: "You mean that wicked woman? Why should I leave one for her? Hasn't she done enough to you? Besides, she doesn't eat what you make!"

His classmate took a bun and took a bite, his eyes widening instantly: "Xiao brother, why are the buns you made today so delicious?"

Xiao Liulang left the queue.

His classmate was stunned: "Xiao brother, where are you going? It's almost your turn!"

Xiao Liulang didn't speak, just walked forward silently.

His classmate, seeing the long queue almost reaching the alley, stomped his feet in anxiety and said to the woman behind him: "Auntie, we're going to the toilet, we'll be right back!"

He caught up with Xiao Liulang: "What are you doing?"

"Buying osmanthus cakes," Xiao Liulang said, walking through the alley to Li's shop.

Li's shop was a century-old brand, and the queue there was no less than at the clinic.

His classmate was exasperated: "Are you crazy? Really buying osmanthus cakes for that wicked woman! Do you know Doctor Zhang only sees patients for half a day? By the time you buy the cakes, it will be too late!"

Xiao Liulang was stubborn; once he made a decision, nothing could change his mind.

An hour later, Xiao Liulang bought the osmanthus cakes from Li's shop.

"Hope Doctor Zhang hasn't left yet!" His classmate pulled Xiao Liulang towards the clinic.

However, when they reached the clinic, the long queue was gone, replaced by a crowd of onlookers and a solemn group of soldiers.

His classmate asked a middle-aged man: "Sir, what happened here? Where are all the patients?"

The man replied: "A madman just rushed into the clinic, saying the doctor had killed his wife. He started slashing with a knife, and everyone inside was injured! See that woman? She was the last one to enter, and as soon as she did, the madman came! She was lucky to run out, but she fell and hurt her head!"

That woman was the one who had been behind them in the queue.

If they hadn't left, Xiao Liulang would have been the last one to enter.

With his leg condition, he would never have been able to run out, and he would likely have been among the injured.

On the way back, both were silent.

The sky gradually darkened, and the carriage creaked on the quiet path.

At this hour, town carriages were unwilling to go to the countryside, so they had to rent a donkey cart for twenty copper coins. It had no cabin, just a simple black canopy, and was drafty at both ends.

Both were frozen stiff.

Suddenly, a thin figure caught Xiao Liulang's eye.

This was a fork in the road.

The path ahead led back to the village, while the one to the west led to the market.

On the path from the market, Gu Jiao was walking with a heavy basket on her back, panting.

The last rays of the sunset had faded, and she was enveloped in the last bit of twilight, her frame thin and bony.

She raised her hand to wipe the sweat, revealing a bandage on her wrist, with traces of blood.

"Stop the cart," Xiao Liulang said.

The driver stopped the cart.

"Why are we stopping?" His classmate asked, confused. Then he saw Gu Jiao walking towards them.

Gu Jiao didn't seem to notice them, thinking it was just an ordinary donkey cart. She didn't look up, turned, and walked past the cart.

"Get in," Xiao Liulang said.

Gu Jiao turned her head, surprised to see Xiao Liulang on the cart, with his classmate sitting beside him.

His classmate still looked disgusted but didn't say anything to stop Xiao Liulang from talking to her.

"Get in," Xiao Liulang repeated, his voice cold.

Despite being just a teenager, he had a maturity and presence that didn't belong to his age.

Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then got in.

She sat opposite Xiao Liulang and put the basket on the ground.

Xiao Liulang looked at the basket: "Did you go to the market?"

Gu Jiao nodded: "Yes, I sold two chickens and bought some rice and flour." And did some other things.

Xiao Liulang looked at her deeply, as if he understood something, but said nothing.

His classmate gave Gu Jiao a strange look, wondering if this wicked woman could actually do business.

Gu Jiao, seemingly unaware of his scrutiny, asked Xiao Liulang: "What about you? Did you see the doctor today?"

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't insisted on eating osmanthus cakes, we wouldn't have missed Doctor Zhang's clinic!" His classmate wouldn't tell her that buying the cakes for her had saved Xiao Liulang from a disaster.

"That... is really a pity," Gu Jiao murmured, lowering her eyes.

Her words sounded regretful, but somehow, it didn't seem like she was regretful at all. Could she already know what happened at the clinic?

Impossible, with her nature, would she be so calm if she knew she had accidentally saved Xiao Liulang? Last time, she forced Xiao Liulang to marry her after saving him; if she saved him again, who knows what she would do?

His classmate sneered: "I ate the osmanthus cakes! No way I'd let you have them!"

Gu Jiao remained calm: "Oh."

His classmate felt like he had hit a wall.

After that, no one spoke.

A very elegant carriage approached.

His classmate was excited and sat up straight: "Look! That's the headmaster's carriage!"

"Which headmaster?" Gu Jiao asked.

His classmate replied: "The headmaster of Tianxiang Academy! The academy Xiao brother will be taking the exam for in three days! The headmaster is from the capital, once the top scholar among the four great talents of the capital, erudite and knowledgeable. His exam results from twenty years ago are still unmatched! A single word from him is worth ten years of study! How I wish I could be his disciple! But I've heard he hasn't taken on disciples for many years. I've been in the academy for half a year and haven't even seen his face..."

His classmate chattered on, too excited to remember he was talking to the person he hated the most.

In the carriage,

The headmaster, dressed in white academy robes, sat respectfully beside a man in simple clothes.

The man's left arm was bandaged, and he held a small broken umbrella in his arms. There was a large footprint on his face, but its origin was unknown.

The headmaster was at a loss, not knowing and not daring to ask.

He bowed respectfully: "Why did you suddenly come out? You should have told me, and I would have sent someone to pick you up."